After two stages and hundreds of games, the nine winners of the Challengers Leagues have qualified for VCT Ascension EMEA and only one spot remains. Play-Ins will decide who gets that final spot before the main event starts.VCT Ascension EMEA will separate the wheat from the chaff to decide who will rise to the top and join the ten teams currently competing in VCT EMEA. Read on to learn all about Play-Ins, key dates, how to watch, and how to attend!
VCT Ascension EMEA: Play-Ins
Play-Ins is set to start on June 22nd and will see the nine teams which placed second in their respective Challengers Leagues compete for the chance to progress into the Ascension EMEA tournament.
Initially split into three groups of three, the nine teams will compete in a Best-of-One single round robin. The top team from each group will advance to the semifinals, whilst the second-placed teams will play each other in another Best-of-One single round robin to determine the claimant of the final semifinals spot. Semifinals will be Best-of-Three single elimination, with the winner of each facing off in a Best-of-Five final.
The group stage will take place on 22-23 June, with the playoff portion taking place on 26-27 June.
The nine teams taking part and their respective groups are as follows:
VCT Ascension EMEA: Dates & Format
The Ascension group stage will begin on 30 June and end on 4 July, with each game day beginning at 5 PM CEST. There will be two groups of five teams competing in a Best-of-Three single round robin. The top two from each group will qualify for the playoffs, beginning on 13 July.
Playoffs begin at the Semi Finals stage and are structured as a double elimination bracket. The winners of the Semifinals will go through to the Upper Bracket Final, with the winner locking their place in the Grand Final. The losing teams in the Semi Finals will face off in Lower Bracket Round 1, where the winning team will face the losing team of the Upper Bracket Final. Whoever wins here will secure the final spot in the Grand Final to determine who ascends to VCT EMEA next season!
The schedule for the playoffs is as follows (all games are Best-of-Three unless stated):
Thursday July 13th
- 5:00 PM CEST - Semifinal #1
- 8:00 PM CEST* - Semifinal #2
Friday July 14th
- 5:00 PM CEST - Upper Bracket Final
- 8:00 PM CEST* - Lower Bracket Round 1
Saturday July 15th
- 5:00 PM CEST - Lower Bracket Final (Best-of-Five)
Sunday July 16th
- 5:00 PM CEST - Grand Final (Best-of-Five)
*Games at this time may start later depending on the length of the previous match.
VCT Ascension EMEA: Teams
The teams will be competing in the following groups for the coveted 11th spot in VCT EMEA next season:
VCT Ascension EMEA: How to Watch
We’re happy to reveal that VCT Ascension EMEA will be available to watch in nine languages - Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish! These are all available to access via valorantesports.com/live.
Watch parties will be announced in due course, but we can confirm that we’ll have these in a variety of languages for the Play-In finals, and all of Ascension.
VCT Ascension EMEA: How to Attend
Tickets are available for the VCT Ascension EMEA Playoffs, taking place from 13-16 July 13th-16th at the Coliseum in Berlin, and can be found at emeatickets.valorantesports.com!
